Paul Heyman was the first name announced as an inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024. This was a completely non-controversial choice among the wrestling community. Even if one were to only consider his on-screen work as a manager, his efforts have been worthy of recognition.
Heyman’s career spanned a number of territories, leading to an important run at the head of The Dangerous Alliance that dominated WCW programming in 1992. From there, he served as the manager, consultant, or wise man to no fewer than three long-reigning world champions in WWE (in addition to briefer stints managing others).
Heyman was a key color commentator in the late stages of the Attitude Era as well, particularly during the Invasion angle, and then an on-screen authority figure.
On top of the work fans have seen firsthand, though, there are Heyman’s behind-the-scenes work, which include major contributions during multiple eras of WWE programming. Perhaps most importantly of all, though, he’s the evil genius most widely credited with masterminding ECW when it caught fire in the 1990s.
For all of the aforementioned reasons and more, Heyman should become the first non-wrestler WWE Hall of Fame inductee to go on last, officially headlining the Class of 2024.
The 2024 WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Will Occur In Philadelphia
Paul Heyman was born and got his start in pro wrestling in New York. His first claims to national fame came in the south or in the Midwest with the AWA, depending on which promotions one most paid attention to.
However, when it comes to the heart of Heyman’s contributions to the wrestling business, it all comes back to Philadelphia. In the Cit of Brotherly Love, Heyman was the driving creative force behind Eastern Championship Wrestling’s reinvention as Extreme Championship Wrestling. More than a simple rebrand, Heyman tapped into the wrestling atmosphere. He recognized the limitations of the family friendly products WWE and WCW produced at the time and capitalized on an opportunity, promoting an edgier, more adult style.
Indeed, the general consensus is that the more realistic presentation WCW embraced in the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era that elevated WWE to such heights were directly influenced by ECW’s success. In addition to pushing a different style of wrestling, there were the individual stars Heyman cultivated. Some, like Mike Awesome, Raven, and The Sandman peaked in ECW as Heyman hid their weaknesses, capitalized on their strengths, and put the right creative behind them. Other acts like The Dudley Boyz, Taz, and Eddie Guerrero would become foundational contributors for bigger promotions for years to come—talents in whom Heyman recognized profound potential who might not have wound up on the radar of bigger companies had Heyman not spotlighted them first.
All of these successes were born out of a bingo hall in Philly. Hardcore mirrors the gritty spirit of the city and the city remains inextricably linked to the ECW legacy. As such, Heyman is quite arguably the wrestling legend most synonymous with Philadelphia and a perfect choice to headline during a WrestleMania weekend staged there.
Paul Heyman Is Part Of The Current WWE Main Event Picture
One of the struggles of the WWE Hall of Fame is that, in presenting the induction ceremony is a live event held in a reasonably sized arena, broadcasted live. There’s a pressure not to simply induct worthy names, but induct draws—names modern fans will recognize and be excited about. Main eventers tend to have staying power, such that even fans who weren’t watching their primes stil know the names and have at least some familiarity with their work. Mid-card acts, tag teams, and managers have a tougher go of it.
In 2023, Rey Mysterio headlined the Hall of Fame class. In addition to having had a lengthy, legendary career the luchador benefited from still being a part of the active roster, embroiled in a hot father-son feud at the time. This dynamic meant everyone who might attend a Hall of Fame induction ceremony—even children who weren’t yet born for either of Mysterio’s world title wins—were still familiar with him.
Paul Heyman has been active in wrestling since since the 1980s, meaning he truly spans generations of fans. But perhaps most importantly for his status as a Hall of Fame draw, he has been heavily embroiled in The Bloodline’s main event storyline that has dominated nearly four years of WWE programming. That’s in addition to standing in the corner of top champions like Brock Lesnar and CM Punk off and on for the preceding two decades. Thus, Heyman is that rare manager whose main event level credentials are beyond reproach.
Paul Heyman Could Deliver One Of The Greatest WWE Hall Of Fame Induction Speeches Ever
One of the awkward realities of WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremonies is that not all speeches are created equally. Regardless of star power, some talents are simply better talkers than others. Meanwhile, there are those talents who clearly take the induction seriously and craft speeches perfectly tailored to the moment, in contrast to those who take a more cavalier approach.
A big part of Paul Heyman’s legacy in wrestling is being an all-time great promo guy. He’s a brilliant wrestling mind with a real sense of history too, all of which is a recipe for a genuinely special induction speech. Rather than someone else being forced to follow the speech of the night, the most straightforward answer is to let Heyman close out the evening.
In the end, whether Paul Heyman goes on first, last, or somewhere in between for his WWE Hall of Fame induction, the bottom line is that after WrestleMania 40 weekend he’ll be a bona fide Hall of Famer. Few men—and particularly few men who were never proper wrestlers—were ever more worthy of this particular brand of recognition. There’s also a small sense of poeticism to Heyman being featured here as a sort of antithesis to Vince McMahon’s style and aesthetic. Heyman headlining may well further establish the launch of a new era in WWE.